SEO Blog Post Checklist: 16 Checks Before You Hit Publish

An SEO blog post checklist is a short list of checks you run before you hit publish, so every post has a clear search target and nothing basic is missing. The essentials: one primary keyword and its intent, a descriptive title, a short readable slug, an accurate meta description, an intro that answers the question, logical headings, original depth, useful links, images with alt text, structured data, and a plan for after publishing.

The table below is the copy-paste version. The sections after it explain each item, with what Google's own documentation says where it matters, so you know which checks are firm rules and which are good habits.

The checklist at a glance#

Copy this into your notes, a doc or your CMS and tick it off for every post.

Before you write#

Most posts that never rank fail before the first sentence: they target nothing in particular, or something the site already covers.

1. Pick one primary keyword#

Choose the one phrase the post should rank for, then one or two close variations. If you run a bakery, "how to store sourdough bread" is a primary keyword; "keep sourdough fresh" is a natural secondary. "Bread tips" is not a keyword, it is a category.

No list yet? Start with how to find keywords for your website or look for low-competition keywords a small site can win.

2. Match the search intent#

Search the keyword yourself and look at page one. If every result is a how-to guide, a sales page will not rank. Note the format, the depth, and the questions the top results leave unanswered. That gap is your angle.

3. Decide: new post or update#

If a page on your site already ranks for the keyword, even at position 15, improving it is usually faster than writing a competing post. Our post on striking-distance keywords shows how to find those pages, and keyword research with Google Search Console shows where the data lives.

This is also where an AI keyword tool can save time. MyKavo's AI Keywords & Blog Writer checks your existing pages and tells you to update one instead of writing a new post when a page already covers the keyword.

On the page#

4. Title: write it for people, expect Google to adjust it#

Your title element is the main source for the clickable headline in search results, which Google calls the title link. Google's title link documentation says the process is automated and can also draw on the page's visible headings, og:title, anchor text pointing to the page and other sources. Google may rewrite a title when it is half empty, contains an obsolete date that conflicts with the visible headline, is boilerplate repeated across pages, or does not match the content.

So make every title unique and descriptive, put the keyword in naturally (near the start if it reads well), keep the title and on-page headline consistent, and don't stuff keywords.

Example: "How to Store Sourdough Bread So It Stays Fresh" beats "Sourdough Storage | Bread Tips | Best Bakery".

5. URL slug#

Google's URL structure guidelines recommend readable words over ID numbers and hyphens rather than underscores to separate words. Keep the slug short and lowercase: /blog/how-to-store-sourdough-bread is fine; /blog/2026/11/21/post-4817 is not. Leave the year out so you can update the post later without changing its URL.

6. Meta description#

Google's snippet documentation says snippets are mainly created from the page content itself, and Google may use the meta description when it describes the page more accurately than text from the page. So Google can and does show other text from your post. Two consequences: write an accurate, unique description anyway, and make sure your intro is quotable, because it may become the snippet. Google also states that meta descriptions do not affect ranking; they can affect whether people click.

7. Answer-first intro#

The first two or three sentences should answer the query directly, then say what the rest of the post covers. Skimmers get what they came for, and search features that quote pages get a clean passage. Save the story about why you started baking for later, or cut it.

8. Heading structure#

Use one H1 (in most themes the post title is the H1 automatically), then H2s for main sections and H3s inside them, without skipping levels. Write headings that work as a table of contents: "How long sourdough lasts at room temperature" tells the reader more than "The basics".

9. Depth and original experience#

Google's guide to creating helpful, reliable, people-first content asks whether content provides original information, reporting, research or analysis, and whether it goes beyond obvious, rewritten material from other sources. Length is not the goal: Google's 2022 post on the helpful content update asks whether you are writing to a particular word count because you heard Google has a preferred one, and answers "No, we don't."

What counts as original for a small business:

• What you have tested yourself ("we left three loaves out for four days; here is what happened").
• Real prices, timelines or numbers from your work.
• Mistakes customers make and how you fix them.
• A clear opinion, with the reason behind it.

10. Internal and external links#

Link to two to five related pages on your own site, and make sure at least one existing page links to the new post so people and crawlers can find it. Google's link best practices say good anchor text is descriptive, reasonably concise and relevant to both pages; a useful test is whether the anchor makes sense read on its own. "Our sourdough starter guide" works; "click here" does not.

For external links, cite primary sources for facts: the official documentation, the original study, the government page, not someone else's summary of it.

11. Images and alt text#

Compress images and use descriptive file names (sourdough-in-linen-bag.jpg, not IMG_0042.jpg). Google's image SEO best practices recommend alt text that is useful and information-rich, uses keywords appropriately and avoids keyword stuffing. Describe what the image shows in context: "Sourdough loaf wrapped in a linen bread bag". Place images near related text.

12. FAQ section#

A short FAQ at the end catches the follow-up questions people actually have ("Can you freeze sourdough?"). Keep answers to one to three sentences and only include questions real readers ask.

Be accurate about what this does in Google. In August 2023 Google limited FAQ rich results to well-known, authoritative government and health websites, and in 2026 its documentation updates log recorded that the FAQ rich result would no longer appear in Google Search at all. So don't add an FAQ expecting expandable questions under your listing. Add it because it helps readers, and because a clear question followed by a direct answer is easy for anyone, including search features, to understand.

13. Structured data: Article JSON-LD#

Structured data is a standard way to describe a page to search engines: this is an article, this is the headline, this is the author, this is when it was published and updated. JSON-LD is the format Google recommends for it. It is a small block of code in the page that visitors don't see.

For a blog post, use the Article (or BlogPosting) type. Google's Article structured data documentation lists recommended properties such as headline, image, author, datePublished and dateModified, with the author given as a person or organization plus a URL that identifies them. Many SEO plugins add this automatically, so check before adding a second copy, and keep the dates matching those shown on the page.

14. Facts and freshness#

Check every number, price, date and claim, especially if any of the draft came from AI. When you update a post later, change the "updated" date only if the content changed in a meaningful way. Google's helpful content guidance lists changing the date of pages to make them seem fresh when the content has not substantially changed as a sign of search-engine-first content.

After you publish#

15. Inspect the URL in Search Console#

Paste the new URL into the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console. The live test shows whether Google can crawl and index the page, and you can request indexing from there. A request does not guarantee indexing or a fast result, but it confirms there is no blocking problem such as a stray noindex tag.

After four to eight weeks, check the Performance report for the queries the page appears for. If it sits on page two, it is a candidate for an update.

16. Watch for silent changes#

A post that ranks can lose its traffic without anyone touching the article. A theme update changes how titles are generated, an SEO plugin setting adds noindex to a post type, or a migration points canonical tags at the wrong URL. Nobody notices until traffic drops.

After any theme, plugin or platform change, spot-check the title, canonical and robots meta tag of your best posts, or automate it; our guide on how to monitor website changes explains the options.

How to do this in MyKavo#

Most of this checklist is about getting the parts right. MyKavo's AI Keywords & Blog Writer produces those parts together in one draft, and its monitoring watches them after you publish.

1. Confirm your business profile. MyKavo reads your website and drafts a short profile: business type, audience, main services, country and language. You edit it if anything is off.
2. Run a keyword report. In about two minutes it expands seed searches with Google's autocomplete, checks today's results for the most promising ones, and ranks opportunities with intent, a reason, a suggested title and a competition estimate. Popularity is a 1 to 5 estimate, not search volume; pair it with Keyword Planner if you need exact numbers.
3. Click Write post on a keyword. Add your own notes first: what you've tested, real examples, your opinion. That covers item 9, the part AI can't invent.
4. Review one draft with every part. You get a title, URL slug, meta description, the article with headings, an FAQ section, JSON-LD structured data and review notes listing what to check or add before publishing. Internal links point only to pages that really exist on your site, and it avoids repeating titles you already have.
5. Edit, then copy it to your site. Use the editor and the one free rewrite per post if needed. MyKavo never publishes to your site; the draft stays a draft until you put it live.
6. Monitor the page. Add the published post to monitoring and MyKavo alerts you if its title, canonical or noindex tag changes later, so item 16 runs without you.

The Free plan includes 1 keyword report and 1 blog post a month, with no credit card. You can start free here.

FAQ#

How long should an SEO blog post be?#

As long as it takes to answer the query fully and no longer. Google has said it does not have a preferred word count. Look at what ranks for your keyword to see how much depth the topic needs, then add what those pages miss.

Does the meta description affect rankings?#

No. Google says meta descriptions don't affect ranking, though an accurate one can help people decide to click. Google may also show text from your page instead of your description.

Should I still add an FAQ section if FAQ rich results are gone?#

Yes, if the questions are real. Google no longer shows FAQ rich results, but a short FAQ still answers follow-up questions for readers and keeps them on your page.

Do I need structured data on every blog post?#

It isn't required to rank, but Article JSON-LD helps Google understand the headline, author and dates. Many SEO plugins add it automatically, so check before adding it by hand.

What should I check after publishing?#

Run the URL through Search Console's URL Inspection tool to confirm it can be indexed, then check the Performance report after a few weeks. After any site update, confirm the title, canonical and robots tags of important posts haven't changed.